


Sending A Message

by RoseBonbon



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types, teenage - Fandom
Genre: Drama, M/M, Protective Hueso enjoy, Romance, tcest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseBonbon/pseuds/RoseBonbon
Summary: This wasn’t the first time Leonardo had barged into Señor Hueso’s office, but it had been the first time he’d run in with tears in his eyes....
Relationships: Donatello/Leonardo (TMNT)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 117





	Sending A Message

This wasn’t the first time the pepino had barged into Señor Hueso’s office, but it had been the first time he’d run in with tears in his eyes. 

For once since he’d met these ridiculous turtles Hueso welcomed the poor thing with open arms. He certainly didn’t dislike the rowdy boys regardless of how much of a handful they were. His heart wouldn’t let him simply turn away one of these turtles—quite possibly his secret favorite one—when he was so clearly distressed. The smile that normally graced Leo’s lips proved to be something Señor Hueso missed, and would give more than even he knew to see again. What could have made Leo sob as if he had lost everything, shake so horridly, unable to speak from how hard he was gasping through his tears? Whoever had done this to him would certainly find Hueso on their doorstep. 

“Pepino? Come now, Leon, calm down.” Was his preference Leo or Leon? Didn’t matter. All that mattered was bringing that stupidly charming smile back. Did something happen to his brothers? Unlike Hueso and his own brother, those four turtles were inseparable. Surely only something tragic would bring a tired and broken Leo to him like this. The only other time Leo sought him out alone was when he thought his brothers were portalnapped. Perhaps now something actually had gone wrong and they were truly in danger.

“Pepino, please,” Hueso begged. He was desperate for any reason as to why this normally optimistic person was crying so harshly in front of him. “What’s happened? I want to help, but I need to know what is wrong first.” 

He could see Leo attempt to speak. Leo stuttered out a few syllables between his tears, tripped over his words as he tried to catch his breath, tried to gather his thoughts so he could tell Hueso why he showed up on his doorstep like this. When was the last time he had cried this hard? When was the last time someone he cared about so deeply hurt him this much? 

“Señor…” Leo finally managed to get out a word as he cast his glance towards his second mentor. “He-he-he…” 

“Calm down now, pepino. Take a breath.” Hueso could see that Leo was more than upset. He was hysterical. Hiccuping and stuttering his way through this conversation wouldn’t help anyone. Rather than press him to speak, Hueso decided to take a different approach. He sat on the desk right in front of Leo who was seated in the guest chair. “Pepino? No more tears, okay? It’s time to relax.” Hueso’s bony hand gently ran up down the hard turtle shell, occasionally moving up to rub Leo’s head before continuing to pet the shell. Soft Spanish filled the room, and the gentle cooing of sweet nothings seemed to have an effect on Leo. The hard sobbing softened, and he wasn’t hyperventilating as much. Hueso was grateful Leo found his words soothing, even if he didn’t understand them. 

The soothing words would have continued had an interruption not jolted them both out of the calm that was slowing forming over them. One of the waiters knocked on Hueso’s door before letting himself in. There was obvious shock on his face at the scene, but he quickly adjusted and focused solely on his boss. 

“Our special guests have arrived, sir, and they are expecting to see you. Should I tell them you’ll be down momentarily?” 

“No,” was the immediate response, resulting in another shocked expression from the waiter. “I have something important to take care of first. I will do my best to see them, however if I cannot—“ 

“B-but sir!” 

“Señor Hueso, you don’t have to!” Leo spoke before the waiter could begin to argue. With his eyes full of tears and his chest still heaving from his sobbing, Leo managed to find his words. He still tripped over them and cried his way through them, but it seemed the thought of how much he was inconveniencing Hueso upset him enough to get his words out. 

That was a red flag. 

Never once had any of those turtles cared if they inconvenienced Hueso, and now the little pepino had come sobbing to him only to try and leave at the first sign of his troublesome nature? No. That didn’t sit well with Hueso. Things were much worse for Leo than the Señor could have imagined. Much worse. 

“I-I’ll go. It’s fine. Y-you don’t have to… to bother with m-me. I—“ 

“Stay right where you are, pepino.” Hueso never took his eyes off of the waiter as he spoke. “Tell our guests that something very important has come up. Offer my apologies; to make it up to them, tell them pizza and drinks are on the house.” The waiter stood frozen to the spot, though not for too long. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go! Vamanos!” 

Without another word, the waiter was gone. Hueso and Leo were once again alone, the silence interrupted only with soft sniffling as the turtle tried to gather himself. Hueso’s bony hand never left Leo’s shell; comforting the poor child was the only thing on Hueso’s mind. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else was more important than making sure his little pepino was alright. Leo, however, didn’t agree with that mindset. 

“You have a business to run, Señor. You don’t have time to help me.” Leo wiped his eyes, though it did nothing to stop his tears from falling. His voice and tone seemed calmer, which raised more red flags for Hueso. What he initially perceived as calm was in actuality anything but that. He realized that the pepino was hardly calm at all. The only reason he could speak in such a way, without stuttering or his voice cracking, was because he had accepted defeat. He had given up. Whatever pushed him to run to Hueso for help was gone, replaced by a desire to simply hide away and never be seen again. 

“I have time, pepino,” Hueso’s gentle, concerned voice brought another wave of relaxation to the atmosphere of the small room. “I always have time for my favorite customer.” 

A snort came from Leo. “And we all know I’m not him.” 

“Second favorite.” 

The quick correction brought a small smile to Leo’s face. It wasn’t the same bright, wide smile that Hueso was used to seeing, but it was a start. He’d take that over nothing. “Pepino,” he started, daring to try and once again break through the wall Leo had put up. “I will do my best to help you, but I cannot help if I don’t know what’s wrong. Did someone hurt your brothers? Are they missing again?” 

Leo shook his head. “No. No, it’s nothing like that.” 

“Then perhaps a friend of yours was taken? Do we need to go back to the hidden city? I can guide you, pepino. We can go now.” 

“No, no. It’s just… it’s not…” Leo let out a frustrated grunt as he slumped over in his chair. “It’s about my brothers. Well, one of them.” 

“One? He is hurt?” 

“No.” 

“And… he is not taken?” 

“No. He’s home, safe.” 

“Then… why do you cry so harshly about him?” 

Tears began welling in Leo’s eyes again, trailing slowly down his cheeks as he looked into the memory of what caused him such grief. Hueso remained patient. He’d already turned away some of his most prized guests—a decision he’d surely regret later—so now there was nothing to do for the night except wait for Leo to find the courage to speak. Hueso didn’t bother to look at the clock while Leo cried softly, then sobbed, then calmed down again. The pattern repeated itself for however long before Leo finally rested his head on Hueso’s knee and spoke as calmly as he could through his tears. 

“He’s never spoken to me that way before.” 

“Hmm?” Hueso only just heard the small mumbling as he rubbed Leo’s head. “Who? Your brother was mean to you, I’m guessing?” 

“Not just mean. That makes it sound like I’m being a child or something.” 

“Well, you are a child, pepino. Nevertheless, tell me. Who was so awful to you?” 

There was a pause before Leo confessed who had upset him this much. “Donnie,” he managed to get out with a cracked voice. “It was Donnie.” 

“Donnie? Which of your brothers is he? I get you all mixed up. Not the orange one?” 

“The purple one.” 

“Ah yes, the purple one.” Hueso recalled his various encounters with the four turtles; they were polite to him for the most part, treating him as more of a buddy than someone who should be respected. He accepted it, though. There were far worse yokai who walked through his doors than four relatively annoying turtles. From their meetings, Hueso remembered the purple one as being intelligent, speaking with a vocabulary which reflected that fact. He also remembered that Donnie sometimes spoke harshly to his brothers, but that never appeared to be a real problem to Hueso. The other turtles seemed to ignore it or always have a comeback, especially Leo. He’d witness the two of them volley back and forth in a battle of words before one, typically Donnie, gave up from simply wanting it to end. It was hard to imagine Leo turning into this crying mess because of a nasty habit Donnie exhibited every single day. 

“If I recall, pepino, the purple one often uses his words as daggers, no? What is the difference this time?” 

“That’s just it, Hueso. He doesn’t do that.” Leo popped back up so he could look the other man in his eyes. “Sure, he can be mean or shady or sarcastic or cold, sometimes cruel I guess, but it’s nothing!” 

“Really?” Hueso wondered if Leo even heard himself when he spoke. 

“Yes, Hueso! Look, he’s a sassy guy and I know that. We all do. It’s nothing new, and it’s definitely nothing to get worked up over. But today, today he…” Leo rubbed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to lose his composure again when he’d finally found it. “Today he was so… So…” 

“Mean?” 

“Yes!” Leo sighed as he slumped back in the chair. “About a month ago I told him I loved him, and he said he had the same feelings.” 

“Feelings? As in…?” 

“He’s my boyfriend,” Leo said, not realizing how odd such a statement would sound. He was correct, however, in thinking that Hueso would have no issue with his relationship. To each their own was Hueso’s personal belief. That, and one should always mind one’s business. Aside from that, Hueso found himself proud of the turtles. There was something beautiful about finding love so close to home. He would have congratulated his little pepino had there not been trouble in paradise. 

“What did he do?” 

Leo wiped his eyes as he recalled all that happened before he ran his shell to Hueso’s place. Before saying a word, Leo reached into the pouch on his belt and pulled out a simple bracelet. Hueso tilted his head at it, examining how purple bled into blue on what looked to be plain, cotton fabric, as if the bracelet was created from a torn shirt. It was certainly nothing special, at least not to him. To Leo, however, this bracelet was more precious than diamonds. Hueso could see from the endearment in Leo’s eyes that this bracelet meant more to him than anything. 

“I gave this to him when I confessed my feelings. He accepted it and always wore it. He said he loved it. But today he….” 

Hueso sighed heavily, closing his tired eyes as they played out what probably happened between Leo and Donnie. “He gave it back to you, didn’t he?” 

“He threw it at me,” Leo whispered. “I went too far today, Hueso, but I didn’t even realize it. I was… I guess I was just bothering him. I mean, he never likes when we all mess with him while he’s working on something, but today he totally laid into me. He told me that…” Leo’s voice cracked as he attempted to lay out what occurred. “He said since we started dating I’ve been too clingy. He said I’m just an inconvenience at this point. That I bother him and annoy him and that if he’d known I’d be this way he would have never decided to date me. He said we should go back to being just brothers… then he threw the bracelet at me.” 

It all came together now—why Leo was so distraught, why he was suddenly so concerned about inconveniencing Hueso, why he even ran to Hueso as opposed to his other brothers or father. It seemed to Hueso that this was truly nothing more than a lover’s quarrel. Perhaps it was Leo’s first heartache, but that was bound to happen in his lifetime. The only way to grow and learn was to experience pain first hand. It was how these situations were handled that mattered most. 

Still, that didn’t stop the slight twinge in Hueso’s chest or the heat that rose in his bones. Even angry lovers should treat each other with respect, and he wasn’t exactly appreciative of Donnie’s poisonous words. 

“Pepino,” Hueso said gently, masking the anger that had risen in him. “Pain is a natural occurrence in life. It comes and goes depending on how you deal with it. Lovers especially experience pain, and it’s a pain like no other. This may not be the first time Donnie yells at you, and you may find yourself screaming just as harshly at him next time too.” 

“So… you think he was right to yell at me then?” 

“Oh no, no, no,” Hueso laughed as he waved a hand to dismiss the ludicrous notion. “I did not say all that. Communication is key, and it seems your brother, for all his intelligence, is lacking that skill. What he did…” Hueso ran his fingers over the bracelet. “He sent a very loud message, pepino. He betrayed you. Honestly, I do not personally think he meant to, but he did. He did not realize what his actions and words were saying.” 

“But clearly I’ve been annoying him. Maybe I should back off, you know? Give him some space. Maybe I have been too clingy. I crawl in his bed every night to sleep next to him, I always try and cuddle him when we watch movies as a family. I even sat on his lap while he was working on one of his stupid inventions. Maybe I was just too much, Señor Hueso. He wasn’t ready for me and maybe…” Leo drifted off as he held his head in hands, another round of tears streaming down his cheeks. “Maybe we weren’t ready for this relationship. Maybe it’s just better to call it off.” 

“Hmmm? You’d give up the relationship so easily? That’s not like you, pepino.” 

“Well what am I supposed to do?” Frustration built in Leo and it was all he could do to keep himself composed enough to stay in the conversation. “He gave me back the bracelet! He said he hates how I act around him, but I can’t help it! I can’t help it that I want to be around him all the time and touch him and-and—“ 

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of!” Hueso finally had enough of Leo’s blubbering. Sure, he was young and stupid and in love, but the answer was so clear. He grabbed Leo by the shoulders and stared into his watery eyes. “Showing your affection for someone is nothing to feel guilty about. You love him, yes? Then feel free to show it, but do not run away.” A sigh came from Hueso as he let go of Leo. His bones suddenly felt very heavy and tired, as if he were the one dealing with an angry lover. It was obvious to him though that Leo still wasn’t quite getting it. The desire to leave the relationship behind was strong, much stronger than trying to work through the problems. It always was. Hueso recalled the arguments he had with his own wife, how they screamed and fought, how sometimes he would leave and other times she would. Yet they always worked it out. Effort needed to be put in, but they always found their way back to each other. Donnie and Leo could do the same if they only tried. 

“You know,” Hueso started, hoping he could convince this young turtle to not give up quite yet. “You also sent a very loud message, Leo.”

“What?” 

“I think it’s good that you gave Donnie some space. We all need our space when we’re angry. But you left, Leo. You walked out.” 

“What? I mean, yeah I did, but… I…” 

“Does Donnie know you are here?” 

“I didn’t tell him.” 

“Do your other brothers or your father know you came here?” 

“N-no.” 

“So in other words, you made it so you cannot be found?” 

“I… I mean, I guess. I didn’t actively want to do that. I just left, you know.” 

Hueso gave Leo a smirk. “So if Donnie called me right now and asked if you were here you wouldn’t mind if I told him?” 

There was a pause; that small moment of silence told Hueso everything he needed to know. 

“I guess…” Leo hesitated before speaking. “I guess I don’t want to be found.” 

Hueso nodded, knowing the situation well. He’d been in Leo’s position plenty of times, and it never worked in his favor. “I’m sure he’ll be calling you soon.” 

Leo snorted. “Yeah right.” 

“He will. He might be mad that you made him worry. Or he’ll just be happy to hear that you are safe. You boys always seem to get yourselves into trouble, so I’m sure he’s thinking that one of your enemies is taking advantage of your distraught state of mind right now. I’m sure it would be a relief for him to hear your voice.” 

“Funny you should think that considering how he seemed to never wanna hear my voice again.” 

“Pepino,” Hueso spoke gentler than he had before, hoping and praying that Leo didn’t mess up what could be a wonderful relationship all because of his stubbornness and stupidity. “I ran away, too. A lot. So did my wife. There were so many arguments where we simply ran away rather than spoke to each other. She ran away once for three days. Initially, I was angry. Then I was scared. I called all of her family and they told me they didn’t know where she was. They were obviously lying and I knew they were, but the fact that they were lying about her whereabouts told me two things. One, that I had fucked up; pardon my French, but it’s probably the only way you’ll understand. And two, that she probably was going to divorce me. That was the message she sent by leaving and disappearing. I called her over and over, and she never picked up the phone. I then started to think she was dead. I convinced myself she was hurt and I went crazy with worry.” 

A sniff came from Leo and Hueso realized that he was once again crying, though he had his undivided attention. “What happened next?” 

“She eventually came home, shocked that I was so sick with worry. I told her that since she did that to me she obviously wanted a divorce. She then told me that she never wanted to divorce. All she wanted was her space and she thought to give me mine. I asked her then why she didn’t pick up the phone to at least tell me she was safe. She told me she didn’t think I was worried. Do you see, pepino? Do you see what happened here?” 

Leo nodded much to Hueso’s surprise. It seemed he finally got through to his little friend. “You sent each other the wrong messages. She never wanted to leave you and you absolutely cared about her. For some reason she thought you didn’t, but if she had just listened to you and if you had just told her from the beginning…” 

“Exactly. We both made mistakes here. And it was all because we didn’t speak. How long were you planning to stay here, pepino?” 

“What? How did you know I—“ 

“Because I have been you plenty of times. And I’ve also seen you leave me plenty of times.” 

Leo looked towards the ground, too ashamed to even keep eye contact with Hueso. “A few days maybe. I didn’t think he’d want to see me so…” 

“He does want to see you. He’s worried. And scared. And he’s wondering why he ever took off that bracelet. He’s wondering why he betrayed you in such a way. He’s regretting everything, and you will too if you stay away.” 

The moment was interrupted by a loud, obnoxious ringtone. Leo nearly jumped out his seat and in his startled state almost dropped the phone he’d pulled from his pouch. 

“It’s Donnie,” he said, his voice hoarse from all his crying and all his doubt. 

“Well? Will you pick it up? You know you are not obligated to take my advice. However—“ 

“Donnie?” Leo didn’t let Hueso finish before he picked up the phone, putting it on speaker. There was a chance that Hueso was wrong. There was a chance that Donnie would scream at him again, throw out those horrible words and cause him to cry like a child all over again. It was a flip of the coin and it could only land on one side. 

“Leo? Thank god you picked up! I was sure you wouldn’t! Where are you? I’ll come get you, okay? You shouldn’t be out alone like that, Leo.” 

“No one’s bothered me,” Leo spoke quietly, his voice lacking any emotion. It came as a surprise to Hueso that he could mask the pain so well while speaking with Donnie. Surely that rose from his spite and not quite wanting to give in so easily to Donnie yet. “I’m fine.” 

“It doesn’t matter! Someone could find you and—“ Leo couldn’t help the crooked smile that crossed his lips at the frustrated cry Donnie let out. It seemed Hueso was right. “Look, just tell me where you are and I’ll be there.”

Leo sighed and looked up at Hueso. He knew exactly what he should do and yet he found it hard to agree to the simple request. He was hurt. He was in more pain than he ever experienced in his life. Bruises and scars were nothing compared to what was going on inside of him. Even knowing Donnie was so worried didn’t make it any easier to simply stand up and go back home. 

“Leo, please,” Donnie begged, a rare thing to see or hear. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just… I don’t know. I’m not the best when it comes to emotions and relationships and—“ 

“You’re really not.” 

It was Donnie’s turn to sigh. “I deserved that. We can talk more and I’ll apologize a million times and… I don’t know! I’ll try and figure this out, but just tell me where you are.” 

One last look at Hueso and then… “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be home soon, okay? Wait for me.” 

“You’re not going to portal here, are you?” 

“Of course! It’s the fastest way, isn’t it? See you soon!” 

“No wait, Leo—“ 

Leo hung up before Donnie could protest anymore. The spark was once again lit in Leo. The fire and passion that was normally in his eyes had finally returned, much to Hueso’s relief. That silly smile was back, and while there was still a dullness to Leo’s energy, he had certainly been revitalized. Hopefully he wouldn’t take long to get back to his old, obnoxious self. 

“Thanks for everything, Señor Hueso. I really appreciate it.” 

Hueso waved a hand. “Never mind that. Go home now. And try not to make the same mistakes I did.” 

Leo shrugged before giving him a cheeky grin. “No guarantees.” He laughed as he took out his sword, opened a portal and disappeared into it. Hueso only hoped that he actually wound up home, though he certainly would have laughed at the irony of Leo getting lost. 

That would have tickled him to no end. 

****  
It had taken two weeks, but Hueso was sure he had given his special guests enough free pizza and drinks to make up for his act of abandoning them for Leo. Frankly, they were being merciful. Two weeks of giving in to their ridiculous demands was nothing compared to some of his friends who suffered far worse and for much longer. Perhaps they respected him enough to let this one disrespectful act slide. He naturally expressed his gratitude in more free food and thanked them for their consideration. If he were lucky they wouldn’t show their faces for a while now that he had made up with them. He watched them leave the restaurant and prayed they’d let him be for at least a few days. With a sigh of relief, Hueso wandered between the tables and patrons, nodding at the regulars and greeting newcomers. Eventually his mind wandered to his most troublesome customers, the turtles. He’d only seen them once these past two weeks, and it had only been the red and orange one. 

“Where could he be?” 

In that moment, his ears rang as a noisy group entered his restaurant. Without turning around he knew exactly who it was. “Speak of the devil.” 

“Hey there, Bone Man!” 

Hueso sighed as he rolled his eyes and slowly turned around. “Pepino. How nice to see you. All of you.” 

Where the turtles had been didn’t really concern Hueso now that all four were here in front of him. What did concern him was if Leo had managed to make up with Donnie. It didn’t surprise him that the immature Leo had failed to update him after his performance two weeks ago, but one look at them told him there was no reason to worry. Leo happily had his arm hooked through Donnie’s, and though Donnie looked less than pleased with the public display of affection, he accepted it. The bracelet that graced his wrist was a clear sign that they had made up and come to some sort of understanding. 

“You seem happy, pepino.” 

“I am.” 

Hueso nodded, knowing that nothing else needed to be said. He was sure that one day Leo would come back to him, bawling about a fight they had. No one could make a perfect relationship overnight. Perfect relationships didn’t exist, but it could be close. Hueso was sure they’d find their definition of perfection one day. Before that happened, though, Hueso had a few things to say to Donnie. The little pang of anger he experienced that day never quite fizzled out. He’d never say it aloud, but no one was allowed to hurt his pepino if he could do something about it. 

“Why don’t you all take a seat?” Hueso said, motioning to a table. “Except you. I want to speak with you.” His bony hand wrapped around Donnie’s wrist, who looked concerned and confused. Leo didn’t hesitate to let him go, and guided their brothers away. He knew what was coming, and he wouldn’t stand in the way of the person he was quickly coming to view as a second father. “See you!” He called to Donnie as his brothers took their seats. They all watched as Donnie followed Hueso to his office, but their curiosity was quickly lifted when the waiter showed up ready to take their order. 

Donnie wasn’t gone long. Less than five minutes later he returned, looking pale, shivering, and staring off into something the other turtles would never see. Leo’s grin never left his face as Donnie took a seat beside him, and only grew more devilish at the silence that came from the normally chatty turtle. “Donnie?” He asked after a few moments of quiet. “You okay? What did you guys talk about?” 

Donnie slowly turned his head towards Leo, his eye twitching all the while. “Did you know that Hueso can sharpen his finger bones?” His voice shook through each word. “All of them. Sharp and as pointed as a knife. He can even do it with his other bones. Stronger bones. Doesn’t hurt him at all.” 

“Uhhh… No?” Leo looked to his other brothers who just shrugged and shook their heads. 

“Well he can!” Donnie’s voice was something between amused, deranged, and terrified. “He said he’s only used that skill once before, and he doesn’t want to have to use it again.” 

“O-oh…” Mikey placed a hand over his chest, clutching his pearls as he would say. “What made him tell you that?” 

Donnie said nothing as he took Leo’s hand in his own, his eyes still distant and staring at nothing. He placed a quick kiss on his love’s knuckles and made plans to give Leo how ever many bites of his pizza he wanted. “I love you, Leo,” was all he said, ignoring Mikey’s question for his own safety. 

“Awwwww! I love you too!” Leo threw his arms around Donnie’s neck, tight enough that anyone who wasn’t terrified for their life would complain. It was all worth it for Leo’s happiness. The smile never left Leo’s face and only grew wider when he caught eyes with Hueso, who sent a wink in his direction. 

The wink went unnoticed by the others, but Leo responded with a wink of his own. He’d be sure to thank Hueso for all of his lessons and advice once dinner was over. 

Even Donnie’s lessons.


End file.
